When Tired Legs Surprise You

Today’s run was supposed to be simple.


Three miles.

Nothing flashy.

Just a short run coming off this weekend’s long run of eight miles.


But if I’m being honest, I wasn’t confident walking into it.


My legs were very tired all day. Heavy. Sore. The kind of tired that makes you question whether running is a good idea at all. And I kept thinking about last week, when I was in almost the exact same spot. After a six-mile long run, I had three miles scheduled a couple days later — and I could barely run. I ended up walking because my legs were so sore and so tired.


So today, I went in with no expectations.


I headed to the park, told myself I’d do what I could, and stayed open-minded. If I needed to walk, that was fine. If it felt awful, I’d adjust.


And then something surprising happened.


Despite feeling tired all day, my legs felt good once I started running. Not perfect — but capable. Steady. Willing. I settled into a fairly decent pace, not quite marathon pace, but close enough that it felt controlled and comfortable. Most importantly, the effort didn’t feel hard.


No fighting my body.

No forcing the miles.

Just running.


By the time I finished those three miles, I felt encouraged in a way that goes deeper than pace or distance. It felt like proof that something is clicking — that my body is adapting, even when it doesn’t feel like it earlier in the day.


Progress isn’t always obvious. Sometimes it shows up quietly, on tired legs, during a run you weren’t sure would even happen.


Today was one of those days.


And it was a really good run.



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